I'm starting to dread looking in my mailbox at school because now the 504s are rolling in. Every couple of days I get another envelope marked "confidential" that notifies me of a student in my class who is covered under Section 504.
Section 504 is a law designed to protect people with disabilities. It affects me because I am legally required to provide all Section 504 students 'with equal opportunities "to obtain the same result, to gain the same benefit, or to reach the same level of achievement" as students without disabilities'. This often means allowing students to turn in work late, have more time on tests, be tested orally rather than by a written test, and various other leniencies.
Of course I support legislation to protect people who are truly disabled, but I think it's being abused. I see too many of my 504 students who have no trouble grasping the concepts covered in class; they're just lazy. And they tell me things like "I have trouble focusing...I should be on medication but I'm not".
Fine. But faced with a high schooler who "has trouble focusing" and has a 504 that says he should be allowed to turn in work late and who, if I stand right behind him so that he's doing work and not playing computer games, is actually very quick to pick up concepts and put them into practice, I wonder: where is the accountability? When will this kid ever develop a work ethic? In 2 years this student will be out getting a job and while an employer can't discriminate against him based on gender, race, or a host of other things, the employer can and will discriminate against him based on whether he can do the job. Obviously. Otherwise, what would be the point of an interview? Wouldn't it be easier on everyone if this student could learn to focus now while he has resources rather than when he's out of school and trying to join the workforce?
It seems to me that in too many cases, 504s are giving students an excuse (a legal excuse!) to be sloppy and that hurts both them and our society. I'm really shocked at the level of "it's not my fault" that I see now on a daily basis.